Top Stories this week: Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Top Notch fourth week and Grand Prize Winner: Taking the plungeMary Anne Keenan of Bradenton won the grand prize in The Islander's annual Top Notch contest for this photo of ducklings anticipating a swim at Freedom Village. Keenan won $100 from the newspaper, plus a bevy of gifts from Islander advertisers, including certificates from the Jolly Roger, Tortilla Bay and Minnie's, of Holmes Beach, and framing a photo from Karly Carlson Photography and Custom Framing of Cortez. Other photographers were weekly winners in the Top Notch contest — Suki Janisch, Craig Fisher, Don Lee, Kimberly Walters and Hannah Howell. The weekly winners received Islander “more-than-a-mullet wrapper” T-shirts and front-page placement of their photos.

Court orders Anna Maria election confirmed

By Rick Catlin Islander Reporter

The 2nd District Court of Appeal has ordered that the recall election of Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus be confirmed by the city’s canvassing board.

Voters had their say Sept. 7 in the special election to recall Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus, but the results were only announced Monday, Sept. 13. Anna Maria voters chose 362 to 331 votes to remove Stoltzfus from office.

On the choice of who should serve his remaining term, Gene Aubry won the balloting with 363 votes to 333 votes for Stoltzfus.

By 10 a.m. Monday, all involved parties in the special election had filed either motions or responses demanding the immediate release of the voting results from the Sept. 7 election on the recall of Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus.

At 1:52 p.m., the notice came from the Second District Court of Appeal that “all ballots, including absentee ballots, cast in the recall election of Sept. 7, shall be unsealed and open for public inspection.”

Bradenton Beach commissioners voted last week to move forward with a $2.66 million spending plan for 2010-11 and likely will adopt the budget this week.

The commission, meeting Sept. 7 at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., also unanimously adopted a resolution setting the proposed millage rate — the rate used to collect property taxes for the city — at 2.1539 mills.